Firefighters said three people were in the home at the time of the explosion and were able to get out on their own. The three suffered minor injuries and were taken to area hospitals.
A family member identified the three people inside the home as Michelle Ellenberger, her daughter Lauren and Lauren's boyfriend Ryan Wobbe. Lauren and her boyfriend have been released from the hospital.
A St. Joseph County Police officer suffered smoke inhalation was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
At a press conference, Assistant Chief Jaren Kilian of the Clay Township Fire Department, said multiple agencies were on scene of the explosion. It took them about half an hour to get the fire under control.
Because of the extensive damage to the home, they have not been able to get inside to assess the full damage. However, all three levels of the home were damaged by the explosion and fire.
“There is currently, right now, from my investigation of the fire, there is explosion damage on all three levels of the home which includes the basement, the main floor and then the upper level. And all the areas around the home have damage,” said Assistant Chief Kilian.
NIPSCO responded to the scene and shut off the gas to the home as a precautionary measure.